Contributors to Hungarian EU Presidency awarded

Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi decorated on Saturday several officials from foreign countries for their efforts to contribute to the success of Hungary’s European Union Presidency during the first half of 2011.

Hungary’s Order of Merit was handed over in Parliament to French Education and Research Minister Laurent Wauquiez, Belgium’s Development and EU Minister Olivier Chastel, Spanish State Secretary for EU affairs Diego Lopez Garrido, former Secretary-General of the Council of the EU, Pierre de Boissieu, and vice-director of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, Jim Cloos.

In his address at the award-giving ceremony, Martonyi spoke highly of the expertise of the recognised officials, and said they had been instrumental in the achievements of the Spain-Belgium-Hungary trio presidency.

Speaking in retrospective of the Hungarian presidency, János Martonyi said Hungary’s aim to take Hungary closer to the EU and to bring Europe closer to the country was successfully met.